Motor vehicle mileage meter



Oct-'31, 1933. J; FISHBURN 1,933,104

MOTOR VEHICLE MILEAGE METER Filed Sept. 20, 1932 INVENTOR John fr/fdq/e HIT/)b l/lfl M ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 31, 1933 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,933,104 MOTOR VEHICLE MILEAGE METER John Eskdale Fishburn, London, England Application September 20, 1932 Serial No. 634.003

,5 Claims. (Cl. 23530) This invention relates to motor vehicle miletaximeter the flag is raised when the cab is age meters and particularly to taxicab meters. for hire and is lowered to the position shown It is common practice to provide a taxiin Fig. 2 when occupied. When the flag is lowmeter with a trip mileage indicator as well as a ered the meter Mwill operate and indicate the 5 fare indicator. The meter is ordinarily'set in mileage and fare. The meterMis usually driven 60 operation by moving the control arm or flag from the transmission T by a shaft S. to operating or occupied position. However, In Fig. 2 there is shown a mileage recorder if the vehicle operator is dishonest. he may fail 01 meter R which is provided for the purpose of to move the flag to operating position and in recording the total pay" mileage traveled by '10 that case the meter will not register the corthe cab. The mileage recorder is alsodriven by rect pay mileage. the shaft S, but the driving connections are This invention has for its salient object to controlled by a magnetic clutch membe 0 provide a'check on the meter mileage indicator which in turn is controlled by a magnet coil 11. by providing means automatically set in opera- Means is provided for automatically energiztion when the cab is occupiedfor registering the ing the coil 11 when a passenger is seated in the total pay mileage traveled by the vehicle or cab. This means comprises a photoelectric or cab. selenium cell C which, as shown in Fig. 1, is Another object of the invention is to provide located at one side of the cab and slightly above a mileage meter with driving connections so conthe rear seat and a source of light L which is Strlleted a d a a d that the presence of a located on the opposite side of the cab and in p n r in the cab Will automatically Set the a position to focus the beam on the cell C. The mileage indicator in operation. photoelectric cell is connected through a relay e Objects of the invention w app r and amplifier A of any suitable construction to from t following fi a n aken in onthe circuit of the magnet coil 11, the coil, as nection with the drawing which form a part shown, being connected to wires 12 and 13. The 80 of his appl c and in which connections from the cell to the amplifying unit Fig; 1 is a perspective view partly broken away are shown at 14 and 15. Of a portion of the taxicab Showing the meter As is well known,whenabeam of light is focused and control m a n on a photoelectric cell of the selenium type the He. 1s a d a v ew s w s t resistance of the cell decreases. In another type ee ee whereby the meter 18 eohtrolledthe eiiect of light is to release electrons from the The invention briefly described consists of a urfa e d so cause 9. current to flow in the mileage indicator for a motor vehicle, operative space between t t, sensmve surface and drivihg conneetions for the meter including a other electrode. Use is made of this property inv masnetwally eohtrolledelutch, and means various applications of photoelectric cells and in emm'e automatlqany by passenger for 0105" this particular case the output of the cell will be ing the clutch and automatically operating the varied when the beam is interrupted by a meter The control mean-S consists of photo' senger on the seat of the vehicle. The change in electric cell located at one side of the cab and 40 preferably slightly above the seat, a source of the output of the can win in tum operate the i a a on tn 0 o relay and through the amplifier operate the mag 3i light will be focused onthe cell unless a passen connections to the mlleage meter As f as is Seated in the cab, in which case h the passenger is seated in the cab the driving 5 beam 1 be interrupted The photoelectric connections for themileage meter R will remain cell is connected through a suitable relay and closed and t meter w op r W the amplifier to operate the magnetic clutch and set passenger av s t e ab the be m rom the the mileage indicator in operation when the Source Of pp y L l then b f s d on the beam of light is interrupted by the presence cell C and the magnet coil 11 will be deenergized,

50 of a passenger on the seat. thus disconnecting the mileage meter R. from the Further details of the invention will appear driving shaft S. It w be understood that y from the following description. desired type of photoelectric cell may be used.

In Fig. 1 there is shown a portion of a motor From the foregoing description it will be seen vehicle or taxicab A having the usual taximeter that a simple and practical automatic control M and control arm or flag F. In the ordinary means has been provided for insuring the recording of the total pay mileage ina taxicab or motor vehicle.

Athough one specific embodiment of the invention has been particularly shown and described it will be understood that the invention is capable of modification and that changes in the construction and in the arrangement of the various cooperating parts may be made without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention, as expressed in the following claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a motor vehicle, a mileage recording meter, driving means for said meter, and means automatically set in operation by the presence of a passenger in the vehicle for connecting said driving means to said meter, said means including means in the passenger compartment of the vehicle for throwing a beam of light and a photoelectric cell in the path of the beam.

2. In a motor vehicle, a mileage recording me ter, driving connections for said meter including a clutch, means in the passenger compartment of the vehicle for throwing a beam of light, within the vehicle in a position to be interrupted by the presence of a passenger, a photoelectric cell in the path of said beam, and means controlled by said cell for operating said clutch.

the vehicle for throwing a beam of light across the vehicle in a position to be interrupted by a passenger seated in the vehicle, a photoelectric cell in the path of said beam, and means controlled by said cell for operating said clutch.

4. In a motor vehicle, a mileage indicator, driving connections therefor including a clutch, means for throwing a beam of light across the passenger seat in the vehicle, and in a position to be interrupted by the presence of a passenger, a photoelectric cell in the path of the beam, and means controlled by the cell for operating the clutch.

5. In a motor vehicle, a mileage indicator, driving connections therefor including a clutch, means disposed at one side of the vehicle and slightly above a passenger seat for throwing a beam of light across the passenger seat in the vehicle, and in a position to be interrupted by a passenger seated on said seat, a photoelectric cell at the other side of the vehicle and in the path of the beam, and means controlled by the cell for operating the clutch.

JOHN ESKDALE FISHBURNi 

